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Author Topic: How to add salts to sparge water when fly sparging?  (Read 7257 times)

Offline erockrph

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Re: How to add salts to sparge water when fly sparging?
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2012, 11:39:11 am »
Never tried this by gypsum might do better made into a slurry with just a tiny bit of water. Then add that to the larger volume.

I've tried this without a lot of luck. No matter what, there always seems to be some gypsum that settles out when I first add it to my strike water. Eventually, after a few rounds of stirring and letting it settle, it all goes into solution.

I've lately been mashing all the base malts, adjusted to proper pH with acid, capping the finished mash with crystal and roast malts if any, then adding salts in the kettle, like Denny suggested.  I add a little acid to the sparge water so the mash pH doesn't rise during sparging.

That has me thinking - for darker styles, if you waited until the sparge to add your color malts, would that provide enough buffer capacity where you wouldn't need to further acidify your sparge water?
Eric B.

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Offline mabrungard

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Re: How to add salts to sparge water when fly sparging?
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2012, 11:43:17 am »
All the typical salts that you would be adding to sparging water will dissolve, even in hot water.  You may not have mixed enough. 

I did just that with my last batch...didn't stir enough to get them dissolved.  I've made this batch before, so I know that the salts had dissolved before.  The problem is that I have a new electronical, fancy-pants HLT and all I have to do is fill it with the proper amount of water and turn on the power.  I need to slow down and stir a little more and make sure the salts are dissolved! 

But as tygo said, you can always just throw them into the kettle.   
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Offline blatz

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Re: How to add salts to sparge water when fly sparging?
« Reply #17 on: December 10, 2012, 11:49:48 am »
The problem is that I have a new electronical, fancy-pants HLT and all I have to do is fill it with the proper amount of water and turn on the power.  I need to slow down and stir a little more and make sure the salts are dissolved! 


same here - guess I will stir harder next time or take a little out and make sure its dissolved.
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